The Journey To Get Healthy

A friend at work suggested that I start blogging about my journey of getting physically fit, so here is the first of several installments that I'll be writing over the next few weeks.

Two years ago I decided to lose some weight and get healthy. At the time, I had no idea how far it would take me. I began by signing up with Weight Watchers. I was familiar with the program having used it about 30 years earlier. I signed up for the online program and got it going as part of my new life.

I immediately began to lose a few pounds.

As soon as I began eating right, I added exercise. I started out with 30 minutes a day and slowly increased it in 15 minutes increments. When I got to 90 minutes a day, I added stairs gradually until I reached 16 flights of stairs within the 90 minutes brisk walk. I dropped about 45 pounds. I was pleased with my progress.

In March of 2012, about seven months after I started this successful regiment, I went on a trip to Israel. I didn't do to badly during the twelve days I was there, but did not watch what I was eating and had to exercise when I could. Upon returning home, I lost the momentum that I had and fell off the wagon. By the end of the year, I had regained almost 30 of those pounds I had lost.

In February of 2013 I vowed to get back on my "healthy routine", so at the end of the month I began my journey back. I entered every crumb that went into my body, got my cardio back to where it has been and dropped 18 pounds in March, April, and May.

It was in May that I made the most profound discovery that I could make. I always thought my main goal was to lose weight. Then i discovered that it was really a change in my lifestyle that would remain with me throughout this life. I now wanted to not only be healthy, but fit as well. This discovery changed everything I thought was real.

It was the last week in May and I knew that my next step was to ascend to a whole new level.  I joined Dynamic Fitness, a relatively new gym about 5 minutes from our house. I checked them out closely and then visited the facility to see it. I had always felt like I didn't belong in a gym. Within the first 30 days, I knew I needed a Physical Trainer to help me know what to do and how to use the equipment. So, at the end of June I added a trainer to my life.

During the first 90 days I lost 19 pounds, 5% body fat, and gained lean muscle (can't remember how much). Needless to say, I got rid of my "big boy" clothes and continue to move into smaller sizes. I will tell you what I am doing in the next installment,

I want to end this segment by sharing what has helped me the most. First, joining Dynamic Fitness was the best thing I could have done at the time. All that I had done previously prepared me for this step. I now feel at home and love my workouts. Second, I got the My Fitness Pall app and it is great to enter what you have eaten, the exercise you've done, and the progress you're making with you weight. It is easy to use and I think has been significant to my progress. Third, the commitment to taking one day at a time. I discovered that I can't do anything about yesterday and tomorrow is not even here yet, but I can do something about today. I'll tell you what that is in the next installment.

Have a great day and if you know someone who is trying to make a change in their life, invite them to join me for Journey of A Lifetime!